Asked by: Brian Mathew (Liberal Democrat - Melksham and Devizes)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, who has been appointed as Special Representatives for Nature and Climate; what their qualifications for these posts were; what their budget is; what their (a) aims and (b) objectives are; and whether any of these have been achieved.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Rachel Kyte CMG and Ruth Davis OBE were appointed as the UK's Special Representatives for Climate and for Nature, respectively, on 21 October and 15 November.
Their biographies and objectives are set out at https://www.gov.uk/government/people/rachel-kyte and https://www.gov.uk/government/people/ruth-davis.
These roles are covered by wider Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) budgets. The Special Representatives have agreed priorities with departments, which are being implemented.
Asked by: Brian Mathew (Liberal Democrat - Melksham and Devizes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will supply Ukraine with additional Challenger 2 tanks.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
At present there are no plans to supply additional Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine.
The UK's decision to send a squadron of 14 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks to Ukraine in 2023 delivered a coherent and combat effective capability and spearheaded the provision of dozens of additional Western Main Battle Tanks from international partners.
We recently announced we will be providing Ukraine with more than 50 armoured and protected vehicles, including modernised T-72 tanks, by the end of spring, building on over 1,000 armoured, protected and logistics vehicles the UK has previously delivered to Ukraine.
We continue to work closely with the Ukrainian Government to ensure the capabilities we provide meet the priorities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Asked by: Brian Mathew (Liberal Democrat - Melksham and Devizes)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to increase funding for the building of social housing in rural areas.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 25804 on 10 February 2025.